“Transparency Matters!” Massachusetts Bottled Water Company Confronts Consequences for Unreported Diesel Spill

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Following their driver’s failure to report a diesel fuel spill to a Pittsfield petrol station, Berkshire Springs Holding Company, LLC was fined.

The Pittsfield Fire Department informed the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) on September 12, 2023, about a diesel fuel spill at a service station located at 480 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield.

The truck was being fueled by a Berkshire Springs employee who left it unattended with the pump active, according to an examination of the station’s CCTV footage. The driver left the station without telling them about the fuel spill, even though he was aware of it.

The Pittsfield Fire Department confined the spill, and Global Partners LP, the station operator, organized a cleaning of around thirty feet by thirty feet that was affected.

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The leak exceeded 10 gallons, which meant Berkshire Springs had to pay a $13,125 fine to the MassDEP for having to report the incident.

According to Michael Gorski, director of MassDEP’s Western Regional Office in Springfield, “It is critical that customers of petrol and diesel fueling facilities diligently monitor their fueling operations to avoid spills of petroleum products that would negatively impact public safety and the environment.”

“The cleanup is finished, and the fine announced today makes it clear that MassDEP will hold people responsible for neglecting to notify the public when there has been a petroleum leak.”